Learning Objectives
- Greater force gives greater acceleration.
- Greater mass gives smaller acceleration.
- Friction reduces motion.
PhysicsMiddle / High School12 min
Forces and Motion
Model how applied force, mass, and friction affect the motion of a cart.
0 m20 m40 m60 m80 m100 m
Blue arrow: force, orange arrow: friction
Live Values
Net force
30.0 N
Acceleration
3.00 m/s²
Velocity
0.00 m/s
Position
50%
Velocity over time
Formula
Fnet = F - friction, a = Fnet / m
30.0 N / 10 kg = 3.00 m/s²
Try this
Find a force that moves the 20 kg box with acceleration greater than 2 m/s².
Increase force or reduce friction, and remember to set mass to 20 kg.
Motion analysis
What happened?
The net force creates acceleration, so velocity grows over time.
Why?
By Newton's second law, acceleration equals net force divided by mass.
Tags
ForceMassFrictionAcceleration